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Luo H, Ma Y, Bi J, Li Z, Wang Y, Su Z, Gerstweiler L, Ren Y, Zhang S. Experimental and molecular dynamics simulation studies on the physical properties of three HBc-VLP derivatives as nanoparticle protein vaccine candidates. Vaccine 2024:S0264-410X(24)00599-1. [PMID: 38811268 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.05.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 05/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
Self-assembling virus-like particles (VLPs) are promising platforms for vaccine development. However, the unpredictability of the physical properties, such as self-assembly capability, hydrophobicity, and overall stability in engineered protein particles fused with antigens, presents substantial challenges in their downstream processing. We envision that these challenges can be addressed by combining more precise computer-aided molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with experimental studies on the modified products, with more to-date forcefield descriptions and larger models closely resembling real assemblies, realized by rapid advancement in computing technology. In this study, three chimeric designs based on the hepatitis B core (HBc) protein as model vaccine candidates were constructed to study and compare the influence of inserted epitopes as well as insertion strategy on HBc modifications. Large partial VLP models containing 17 chains for the HBc chimeric model vaccines were constructed based on the wild-type (wt) HBc assembly template. The findings from our simulation analysis have demonstrated good consistency with experimental results, pertaining to the surface hydrophobicity and overall stability of the chimeric vaccine candidates. Furthermore, the different impact of foreign antigen insertions on the HBc scaffold was investigated through simulations. It was found that separately inserting two epitopes into the HBc platform at the N-terminal and the major immunogenic regions (MIR) yields better results compared to a serial insertion at MIR in terms of protein structural stability. This study substantiates that an MD-guided design approach can facilitate vaccine development and improve its manufacturing efficiency by predicting products with extreme surface hydrophobicity or structural instability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Luo
- School of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia; State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Biopharmaceutical Preparation and Delivery (CAS), Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China; Institute of Pharmaceutical and Food Engineering, Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Jinzhong 030619, PR China
| | - Yanyan Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Biopharmaceutical Preparation and Delivery (CAS), Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China
| | - Jingxiu Bi
- School of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
| | - Zhengjun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Biopharmaceutical Preparation and Delivery (CAS), Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China
| | - Yingli Wang
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Food Engineering, Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Jinzhong 030619, PR China
| | - Zhiguo Su
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Biopharmaceutical Preparation and Delivery (CAS), Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China
| | - Lukas Gerstweiler
- School of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia.
| | - Ying Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Mesoscience and Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China; School of Chemical Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China.
| | - Songping Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Biopharmaceutical Preparation and Delivery (CAS), Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China.
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Arul SS, Balakrishnan B, Handanahal SS, Venkataraman S. Viral nanoparticles: Current advances in design and development. Biochimie 2024; 219:33-50. [PMID: 37573018 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2023.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
Viral nanoparticles (VNPs) are self-assembling, adaptable delivery systems for vaccines and other therapeutic agents used in a variety of biomedical applications. The potential of viruses to invade and infect various hosts and cells renders them suitable as potential nanocarriers, possessing distinct functional characteristics, immunogenic properties, and improved biocompatibility and biodegradability. VNPs are frequently produced through precise genetic or chemical engineering, which involves adding diverse sequences or functional payloads to the capsid protein (CP). Several spherical and helical plant viruses, bacteriophages, and animal viruses are currently being used as VNPs, or non-infectious virus-like particles (VLPs). In addition to their broad use in cancer therapy, vaccine technology, diagnostics, and molecular imaging, VNPs have made important strides in the realms of tissue engineering, biosensing, and antimicrobial prophylaxis. They are also being used in energy storage cells due to their binding and piezoelectric properties. The large-scale production of VNPs for research, preclinical testing, and clinical use is fraught with difficulties, such as those relating to cost-effectiveness, scalability, and purity. Consequently, many plants- and microorganism-based platforms are being developed, and newer viruses are being explored. The goal of the current review is to provide an overview of these advances.
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Khakhum N, Baruch-Torres N, Stockton JL, Chapartegui-González I, Badten AJ, Adam A, Wang T, Huerta-Saquero A, Yin YW, Torres AG. Decoration of Burkholderia Hcp1 protein to virus-like particles as a vaccine delivery platform. Infect Immun 2024; 92:e0001924. [PMID: 38353543 PMCID: PMC10929448 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00019-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Virus-like particles (VLPs) are protein-based nanoparticles frequently used as carriers in conjugate vaccine platforms. VLPs have been used to display foreign antigens for vaccination and to deliver immunotherapy against diseases. Hemolysin-coregulated proteins 1 (Hcp1) is a protein component of the Burkholderia type 6 secretion system, which participates in intracellular invasion and dissemination. This protein has been reported as a protective antigen and is used in multiple vaccine candidates with various platforms against melioidosis, a severe infectious disease caused by the intracellular pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei. In this study, we used P22 VLPs as a surface platform for decoration with Hcp1 using chemical conjugation. C57BL/6 mice were intranasally immunized with three doses of either PBS, VLPs, or conjugated Hcp1-VLPs. Immunization with Hcp1-VLPs formulation induced Hcp1-specific IgG, IgG1, IgG2c, and IgA antibody responses. Furthermore, the serum from Hcp1-VLPs immunized mice enhanced the bacterial uptake and opsonophagocytosis by macrophages in the presence of complement. This study demonstrated an alternative strategy to develop a VLPs-based vaccine platform against Burkholderia species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nittaya Khakhum
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Noe Baruch-Torres
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Jacob L. Stockton
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | | | - Alexander J. Badten
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
- Institute for Translational Sciences, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Awadalkareem Adam
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Tian Wang
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Alejandro Huerta-Saquero
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
- Centro de Nanociencias y Nanotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
| | - Y. Whitney Yin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Alfredo G. Torres
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
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Ruzzi F, Semprini MS, Scalambra L, Palladini A, Angelicola S, Cappello C, Pittino OM, Nanni P, Lollini PL. Virus-like Particle (VLP) Vaccines for Cancer Immunotherapy. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12963. [PMID: 37629147 PMCID: PMC10454695 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241612963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer vaccines are increasingly being studied as a possible strategy to prevent and treat cancers. While several prophylactic vaccines for virus-caused cancers are approved and efficiently used worldwide, the development of therapeutic cancer vaccines needs to be further implemented. Virus-like particles (VLPs) are self-assembled protein structures that mimic native viruses or bacteriophages but lack the replicative material. VLP platforms are designed to display single or multiple antigens with a high-density pattern, which can trigger both cellular and humoral responses. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of preventive VLP-based vaccines currently approved worldwide against HBV and HPV infections or under evaluation to prevent virus-caused cancers. Furthermore, preclinical and early clinical data on prophylactic and therapeutic VLP-based cancer vaccines were summarized with a focus on HER-2-positive breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Ruzzi
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC) and Alma Mater Institute on Healthy Planet, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (F.R.); (M.S.S.); (L.S.); (S.A.); (C.C.); (O.M.P.); (P.N.)
| | - Maria Sofia Semprini
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC) and Alma Mater Institute on Healthy Planet, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (F.R.); (M.S.S.); (L.S.); (S.A.); (C.C.); (O.M.P.); (P.N.)
| | - Laura Scalambra
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC) and Alma Mater Institute on Healthy Planet, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (F.R.); (M.S.S.); (L.S.); (S.A.); (C.C.); (O.M.P.); (P.N.)
| | - Arianna Palladini
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy;
| | - Stefania Angelicola
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC) and Alma Mater Institute on Healthy Planet, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (F.R.); (M.S.S.); (L.S.); (S.A.); (C.C.); (O.M.P.); (P.N.)
| | - Chiara Cappello
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC) and Alma Mater Institute on Healthy Planet, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (F.R.); (M.S.S.); (L.S.); (S.A.); (C.C.); (O.M.P.); (P.N.)
| | - Olga Maria Pittino
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC) and Alma Mater Institute on Healthy Planet, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (F.R.); (M.S.S.); (L.S.); (S.A.); (C.C.); (O.M.P.); (P.N.)
| | - Patrizia Nanni
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC) and Alma Mater Institute on Healthy Planet, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (F.R.); (M.S.S.); (L.S.); (S.A.); (C.C.); (O.M.P.); (P.N.)
| | - Pier-Luigi Lollini
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC) and Alma Mater Institute on Healthy Planet, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (F.R.); (M.S.S.); (L.S.); (S.A.); (C.C.); (O.M.P.); (P.N.)
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Panasiuk M, Zimmer K, Czarnota A, Narajczyk M, Peszyńska-Sularz G, Chraniuk M, Hovhannisyan L, Żołędowska S, Nidzworski D, Żaczek AJ, Gromadzka B. Chimeric virus-like particles presenting tumour-associated MUC1 epitope result in high titers of specific IgG antibodies in the presence of squalene oil-in-water adjuvant: towards safe cancer immunotherapy. J Nanobiotechnology 2022; 20:160. [PMID: 35351156 PMCID: PMC8961490 DOI: 10.1186/s12951-022-01357-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Immunotherapy is emerging as a powerful treatment approach for several types of cancers. Modulating the immune system to specifically target cancer cells while sparing healthy cells, is a very promising approach for safer therapies and increased survival of cancer patients. Tumour-associated antigens are favorable targets for cancer immunotherapy, as they are exclusively expressed by the cancer cells, minimizing the risk of an autoimmune reaction. The ability to initiate the activation of the immune system can be achieved by virus-like particles (VLPs) which are safe and potent delivery tools. VLP‐based vaccines have evolved dramatically over the last few decades and showed great potential in preventing infectious diseases. Immunogenic potency of engineered VLPs as a platform for the development of effective therapeutic cancer vaccines has been studied extensively. This study involves recombinant VLPs presenting multiple copies of tumour-specific mucin 1 (MUC1) epitope as a potentially powerful tool for future immunotherapy. Results In this report VLPs based on the structural protein of Norovirus (NoV VP1) were genetically modified to present multiple copies of tumour-specific MUC1 epitope on their surface. Chimeric MUC1 particles were produced in the eukaryotic Leishmania tarentolae expression system and used in combination with squalene oil-in-water emulsion MF59 adjuvant to immunize BALB/c mice. Sera from vaccinated mice demonstrated high titers of IgG and IgM antibodies which were specifically recognizing MUC1 antigen. Conclusions The obtained results show that immunization with recombinant chimeric NoV VP1- MUC1 VLPs result in high titers of MUC1 specific IgG antibodies and show great therapeutic potential as a platform to present tumour-associated antigens. Graphical Abstract ![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirosława Panasiuk
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdańsk and Medical University of Gdańsk, A. Abrahama 58, 80-307, Gdańsk, Poland.,NanoExpo Sp. z o.o., Kładki 24, 80-822, Gdańsk, Poland.,Department of in vitro Studies, Institute of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine, Kampinoska 25, 80-180, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Karolina Zimmer
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdańsk and Medical University of Gdańsk, A. Abrahama 58, 80-307, Gdańsk, Poland.,Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Bielsko-Biala, Willowa 2, 43-309, Bielsko-Biala, Poland
| | - Anna Czarnota
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdańsk and Medical University of Gdańsk, A. Abrahama 58, 80-307, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Magdalena Narajczyk
- Laboratory of Electron Microscopy, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Grażyna Peszyńska-Sularz
- Tri-City Central Animal Laboratory Research and Service Center, Medical University of Gdańsk, Dębinki 1, 80-211, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Milena Chraniuk
- Department of in vitro Studies, Institute of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine, Kampinoska 25, 80-180, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Lilit Hovhannisyan
- Department of in vitro Studies, Institute of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine, Kampinoska 25, 80-180, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Sabina Żołędowska
- Institute of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine, Kampinoska 25, 80-180, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Dawid Nidzworski
- Institute of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine, Kampinoska 25, 80-180, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Anna J Żaczek
- Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Dębinki 1, 80-210, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Beata Gromadzka
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdańsk and Medical University of Gdańsk, A. Abrahama 58, 80-307, Gdańsk, Poland. .,NanoExpo Sp. z o.o., Kładki 24, 80-822, Gdańsk, Poland. .,Department of in vitro Studies, Institute of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine, Kampinoska 25, 80-180, Gdańsk, Poland.
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Hillebrandt N, Vormittag P, Dietrich A, Hubbuch J. Process Monitoring Framework for Cross‐flow Diafiltration‐based Virus‐like Particle Disassembly: Tracing Product Properties and Filtration Performance. Biotechnol Bioeng 2022; 119:1522-1538. [DOI: 10.1002/bit.28063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nils Hillebrandt
- Institute of Engineering in Life Sciences, Section IV: Biomolecular Separation Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Fritz‐Haber‐Weg 2 76131 Karlsruhe Baden‐Württemberg Germany
| | - Philipp Vormittag
- Institute of Engineering in Life Sciences, Section IV: Biomolecular Separation Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Fritz‐Haber‐Weg 2 76131 Karlsruhe Baden‐Württemberg Germany
| | - Annabelle Dietrich
- Institute of Engineering in Life Sciences, Section IV: Biomolecular Separation Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Fritz‐Haber‐Weg 2 76131 Karlsruhe Baden‐Württemberg Germany
| | - Jürgen Hubbuch
- Institute of Engineering in Life Sciences, Section IV: Biomolecular Separation Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Fritz‐Haber‐Weg 2 76131 Karlsruhe Baden‐Württemberg Germany
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Zhang B, Yin S, Wang Y, Su Z, Bi J. Cost-effective purification process development for chimeric hepatitis B core (HBc) virus-like particles assisted by molecular dynamic simulation. Eng Life Sci 2021; 21:438-452. [PMID: 34140854 PMCID: PMC8182290 DOI: 10.1002/elsc.202000104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Inserting foreign epitopes to hepatitis B core (HBc) virus-like particles (VLPs) could influence the molecular conformation and therefore vary the purification process. In this study, a cost-effective purification process was developed for two chimeric HBc VLPs displaying Epstein-Barr nuclear antigens 1 (EBNA1), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) core. Both chimeric VLPs were expressed in soluble form with high production yields in Escherichia coli. Molecular dynamic (MD) simulation was employed to predict the stability of chimeric VLPs. HCV core-HBc was found to be less stable in water environment compared with EBNA1-HBc, indicating its higher hydrophobicity. Assisting with MD simulation, ammonium sulfate precipitation was optimized to remove host cell proteins with high target protein recovery yields. Moreover, 99% DNA impurities were removed using POROS 50 HQ chromatography. In characterization measurement, we found that inserting HCV core epitope would reduce the ratio of α-helix of HCV core-HBc. This could be another reason on the top of its higher hydrophobicity predicted by MD simulation, causing its less stability. Tertiary structure, transmission electron microscopy, and immunogenicity results indicate that two chimeric VLPs maintained correct VLP structure ensuring its bioactivity after being processed by the developed cost-effective purification approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingyang Zhang
- School of Chemical Engineering & Advanced Materials, Faculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical SciencesUniversity of AdelaideAdelaideSAAustralia
| | - Shuang Yin
- School of Chemical Engineering & Advanced Materials, Faculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical SciencesUniversity of AdelaideAdelaideSAAustralia
| | - Yingli Wang
- School of Chinese Medicine and Food EngineeringShanxi University of Traditional Chinese MedicineJinzhongShanxi ProvinceP. R. China
| | - Zhiguo Su
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process EngineeringChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingP. R. China
| | - Jingxiu Bi
- School of Chemical Engineering & Advanced Materials, Faculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical SciencesUniversity of AdelaideAdelaideSAAustralia
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8
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Hepatitis B core-based virus-like particles: A platform for vaccine development in plants. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 29:e00605. [PMID: 33732633 PMCID: PMC7937989 DOI: 10.1016/j.btre.2021.e00605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Virus-like particles (VLPs) are a class of structures formed by the self-assembly of viral capsid protein subunits and contain no infective viral genetic material. The Hepatitis B core (HBc) antigen is capable of assembling into VLPs that can elicit strong immune responses and has been licensed as a commercial vaccine against Hepatitis B. The HBc VLPs have also been employed as a platform for the presentation of foreign epitopes to the immune system and have been used to develop vaccines against, for example, influenza A and Foot-and-mouth disease. Plant expression systems are rapid, scalable and safe, and are capable of providing correct post-translational modifications and reducing upstream production costs. The production of HBc-based virus-like particles in plants would thus greatly increase the efficiency of vaccine production. This review investigates the application of plant-based HBc VLP as a platform for vaccine production.
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Wang Z, Tang S, Yue N, Qian Z, Zhou S. Development of HBc virus-like particles as modular nanocarrier by intein-mediated trans-splicing. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2021; 534:891-895. [PMID: 33213839 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.10.081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus core protein (HBc) spontaneously assembles as Virus-like particles (VLPs) in Escherichia coli (E. coli) which is extensively used as a nanocarrier to boost antigen immunogenicity. Genetic fusion of cargo protein with HBc occasionally forms inclusion bodies instead of properly assembled VLPs. To this end, we devised HBc VLPs as a modular nanocarrier for antigen delivery by intein-mediated trans-splicing (TS). We introduced split inteinC (intC) to the C-terminus of split HBc N-core to employ intein-mediated TS technology to HBc VLPs. Split HBc with the insertion of intC at N-core C-terminus (designated as HBc N-intC-C) existed in inclusion bodies. Interestingly, introduction of a soluble tag, gb1, to intC C-terminus remarkably improved the solubility of recombinant protein (named HBc N-intC-gb1-C). Moreover, newly designed recombinant spontaneously assembled as VLPs and endowed efficiently coupling two different model antigens onto HBc N-intC-gb1-C VLPs. Furthermore, model antigens delivered by HBc VLPs induced a dramatically enhanced antigen-specific immune responses. Antigen proteins mainly elicited Th2 IgG responses while antigens delivered by HBc VLPs steered Th1/Th2 balanced IgG responses. Taken together, intein-mediated TS was amenable to decorate HBc VLPs with antigens and showed good potential for antigen delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zewei Wang
- Lab of Plant Cell Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Bio-Energy Crops, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China; Unit of Herpesvirus and Molecular Virology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology & Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Shubing Tang
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201058, China.
| | - Nan Yue
- Unit of Herpesvirus and Molecular Virology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology & Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Zhikang Qian
- Unit of Herpesvirus and Molecular Virology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology & Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China.
| | - Shumin Zhou
- Lab of Plant Cell Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Bio-Energy Crops, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China.
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Peyret H, Ponndorf D, Meshcheriakova Y, Richardson J, Lomonossoff GP. Covalent protein display on Hepatitis B core-like particles in plants through the in vivo use of the SpyTag/SpyCatcher system. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17095. [PMID: 33051543 PMCID: PMC7555512 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74105-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Virus-like particles (VLPs) can be used as nano-carriers and antigen-display systems in vaccine development and therapeutic applications. Conjugation of peptides or whole proteins to VLPs can be achieved using different methods such as the SpyTag/SpyCatcher system. Here we investigate the conjugation of tandem Hepatitis B core (tHBcAg) VLPs and the model antigen GFP in vivo in Nicotiana benthamiana. We show that tHBcAg VLPs could be successfully conjugated with GFP in the cytosol and ER without altering VLP formation or GFP fluorescence. Conjugation in the cytosol was more efficient when SpyCatcher was displayed on tHBcAg VLPs instead of being fused to GFP. This effect was even more obvious in the ER, showing that it is optimal to display SpyCatcher on the tHBcAg VLPs and SpyTag on the binding partner. To test transferability of the GFP results to other antigens, we successfully conjugated tHBcAg VLPs to the HIV capsid protein P24 in the cytosol. This work presents an efficient strategy which can lead to time and cost saving post-translational, covalent conjugation of recombinant proteins in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadrien Peyret
- Department of Biological Chemistry, John Innes Centre, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK.
| | - Daniel Ponndorf
- Department of Biological Chemistry, John Innes Centre, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK
| | | | - Jake Richardson
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK
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Zhuang J, Holay M, Park JH, Fang RH, Zhang J, Zhang L. Nanoparticle Delivery of Immunostimulatory Agents for Cancer Immunotherapy. Theranostics 2019; 9:7826-7848. [PMID: 31695803 PMCID: PMC6831474 DOI: 10.7150/thno.37216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunostimulatory agents, including adjuvants, cytokines, and monoclonal antibodies, hold great potential for the treatment of cancer. However, their direct administration often results in suboptimal pharmacokinetics, vulnerability to biodegradation, and compromised targeting. More recently, encapsulation into biocompatible nanoparticulate carriers has become an emerging strategy for improving the delivery of these immunotherapeutic agents. Such approaches can address many of the challenges facing current treatment modalities by endowing additional protection and significantly elevating the bioavailability of the encapsulated payloads. To further improve the delivery efficiency and subsequent immune responses associated with current nanoscale approaches, biomimetic modifications and materials have been employed to create delivery platforms with enhanced functionalities. By leveraging nature-inspired design principles, these biomimetic nanodelivery vehicles have the potential to alter the current clinical landscape of cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Zhuang
- Department of NanoEngineering, Chemical Engineering Program, and Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Maya Holay
- Department of NanoEngineering, Chemical Engineering Program, and Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Joon Ho Park
- Department of NanoEngineering, Chemical Engineering Program, and Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Ronnie H. Fang
- Department of NanoEngineering, Chemical Engineering Program, and Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Jie Zhang
- Cello Therapeutics, Inc., San Diego, CA 92121, USA
| | - Liangfang Zhang
- Department of NanoEngineering, Chemical Engineering Program, and Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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12
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Mohsen MO, Speiser DE, Knuth A, Bachmann MF. Virus-like particles for vaccination against cancer. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-NANOMEDICINE AND NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY 2019; 12:e1579. [PMID: 31456339 PMCID: PMC6916610 DOI: 10.1002/wnan.1579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Revised: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 07/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Active immunotherapy of cancer aims to treat the disease by inducing effective cellular and humoral immune responses. Virus‐like particle‐based vaccines have evolved dramatically over the last few decades, greatly reducing morbidity and mortality of several infectious diseases and expectedly preventing cervical cancer caused by human papilloma virus. In contrast to these broad successes of disease prevention, therapeutic cancer vaccines remain to demonstrate clinical benefit. Yet, several preclinical and clinical trials have revealed promising results and are paving the way for medical breakthroughs. This study reviews and discusses the recent preclinical development and clinical trials in this field. This article is categorized under: Biology‐Inspired Nanomaterials > Protein and Virus‐Based Structures Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona O Mohsen
- The Interim Translational Research Institute "iTRI", National Center for Cancer Care & Research (NCCCR), Doha, Qatar.,Department of BioMedical Research, Immunology RIA, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Daniel E Speiser
- Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alexander Knuth
- The Interim Translational Research Institute "iTRI", National Center for Cancer Care & Research (NCCCR), Doha, Qatar
| | - Martin F Bachmann
- Department of BioMedical Research, Immunology RIA, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Nuffield Department of Medicine, Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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13
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Ong HK, Tan WS, Ho KL. Virus like particles as a platform for cancer vaccine development. PeerJ 2017; 5:e4053. [PMID: 29158984 PMCID: PMC5694210 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 10/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancers have killed millions of people in human history and are still posing a serious health problem worldwide. Therefore, there is an urgent need for developing preventive and therapeutic cancer vaccines. Among various cancer vaccine development platforms, virus-like particles (VLPs) offer several advantages. VLPs are multimeric nanostructures with morphology resembling that of native viruses and are mainly composed of surface structural proteins of viruses but are devoid of viral genetic materials rendering them neither infective nor replicative. In addition, they can be engineered to display multiple, highly ordered heterologous epitopes or peptides in order to optimize the antigenicity and immunogenicity of the displayed entities. Like native viruses, specific epitopes displayed on VLPs can be taken up, processed, and presented by antigen-presenting cells to elicit potent specific humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. Several studies also indicated that VLPs could overcome the immunosuppressive state of the tumor microenvironment and break self-tolerance to elicit strong cytotoxic lymphocyte activity, which is crucial for both virus clearance and destruction of cancerous cells. Collectively, these unique characteristics of VLPs make them optimal cancer vaccine candidates. This review discusses current progress in the development of VLP-based cancer vaccines and some potential drawbacks of VLPs in cancer vaccine development. Extracellular vesicles with close resembling to viral particles are also discussed and compared with VLPs as a platform in cancer vaccine developments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Kian Ong
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Wen Siang Tan
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.,Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Kok Lian Ho
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
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14
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Akhras S, Toda M, Boller K, Himmelsbach K, Elgner F, Biehl M, Scheurer S, Gratz M, Vieths S, Hildt E. Cell-permeable capsids as universal antigen carrier for the induction of an antigen-specific CD8 + T-cell response. Sci Rep 2017; 7:9630. [PMID: 28851900 PMCID: PMC5575276 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-08787-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2016] [Accepted: 07/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Vaccine platforms that can be flexibly loaded with antigens can contribute to decrease response time to emerging infections. For many pathogens and chronic infections, induction of a robust cytotoxic T lymphocytes-mediated response is desirable to control infection. Antigen delivery into the cytoplasm of antigen presenting cells favors induction of cytotoxic T cells. By fusion of the cell-permeable translocation motif (TLM)-peptide to the capsid-forming core protein of hepatitis B virus, and by insertion of the strep-tag in the spike tip (a domain that protrudes from the surface of the capsid), cell-permeable carrier capsids were generated that can be flexibly loaded with various antigens. Loading with antigens was demonstrated by electron microscopy, density gradient centrifugation and surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy. Confocal immunofluorescence microscopy showed that cell-permeable carrier capsids mediate transfer of cargo antigen into the cytoplasm. Using cell-permeable carrier capsids loaded with ovalbumin as model antigen, activation of antigen presenting cells and ovalbumin-specific CD8+ T-cells, which correlates with enhanced specific killing activity, was found. This demonstrates the capacity of TLM-carrier-capsids to serve as universal antigen carrier to deliver antigens into the cytoplasm of antigen presenting cells, which leads to enhanced MHC class I-mediated presentation and induction of antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sami Akhras
- Department of Virology, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, 63225, Langen, Germany
| | - Masako Toda
- Department of Allergology, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, 63225, Langen, Germany
| | - Klaus Boller
- Department of Immunology, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, 63225, Langen, Germany
| | | | - Fabian Elgner
- Department of Virology, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, 63225, Langen, Germany
| | - Marlene Biehl
- Department of Virology, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, 63225, Langen, Germany
| | - Stephan Scheurer
- Department of Allergology, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, 63225, Langen, Germany
| | - Meike Gratz
- Department of Virology, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, 63225, Langen, Germany
| | - Stefan Vieths
- Department of Allergology, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, 63225, Langen, Germany
| | - Eberhard Hildt
- Department of Virology, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, 63225, Langen, Germany. .,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), 38124, Braunschweig, Germany.
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15
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A Modular Vaccine Development Platform Based on Sortase-Mediated Site-Specific Tagging of Antigens onto Virus-Like Particles. Sci Rep 2016; 6:25741. [PMID: 27170066 PMCID: PMC4864371 DOI: 10.1038/srep25741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2015] [Accepted: 04/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Virus-like particles (VLPs) can be used as powerful nanoscale weapons to fight against virus infection. In addition to direct use as vaccines, VLPs have been extensively exploited as platforms on which to display foreign antigens for prophylactic vaccination and immunotherapeutic treatment. Unfortunately, fabrication of new chimeric VLP vaccines in a versatile, site-specific and highly efficient manner is beyond the capability of traditional VLP vaccine design approaches, genetic insertion and chemical conjugation. In this study, we described a greatly improved VLP display strategy by chemoenzymatic site-specific tailoring antigens on VLPs surface with high efficiency. Through the transpeptidation mediated by sortase A, one protein and two epitopes containing N-terminal oligoglycine were conjugated to the LPET motif on the surface of hepatitis B virus core protein (HBc) VLPs with high density. All of the new chimeric VLPs induced strong specific IgG responses. Furthermore, the chimeric VLPs with sortase A tagged enterovirus 71 (EV71) SP70 epitope could elicit effective antibodies against EV71 lethal challenging as well as the genetic insertion chimeric VLPs. The sortase A mediated chemoenzymatic site-specific tailoring of the HBc VLP approach shows great potential in new VLP vaccine design for its simplicity, site specificity, high efficiency, and versatility.
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16
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Xiang SD, Scalzo-Inguanti K, Minigo G, Park A, Hardy CL, Plebanski M. Promising particle-based vaccines in cancer therapy. Expert Rev Vaccines 2014; 7:1103-19. [DOI: 10.1586/14760584.7.7.1103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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17
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Ungaro F, Conte C, Quaglia F, Tornesello ML, Buonaguro FM, Buonaguro L. VLPs and particle strategies for cancer vaccines. Expert Rev Vaccines 2013; 12:1173-1193. [PMID: 24124878 DOI: 10.1586/14760584.2013.836909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
Effective delivery of tumor antigens to APCs is one of the key steps for eliciting a strong and durable immune response to tumors. Several cancer vaccines have been evaluated in clinical trials, based on soluble peptides, but results have not been fully satisfactory. To improve immunogenicity particles provide a valid strategy to display and/or incorporate epitopes which can be efficiently targeted to APCs for effective induction of adaptive immunity. In the present review, we report some leading technologies for developing particulate vaccines employed in cancer immunotherapy, highlighting the key parameters for a rational design to elicit both humoral and cellular responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Ungaro
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Napoli Federico II, Via Domenico Montesano 49, 80131, Napoli, Italy
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18
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Roose K, De Baets S, Schepens B, Saelens X. Hepatitis B core-based virus-like particles to present heterologous epitopes. Expert Rev Vaccines 2013; 12:183-98. [PMID: 23414409 DOI: 10.1586/erv.12.150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Since the first effort to recombinantly express the hepatitis B core protein (HBc) in bacteria, the remarkable virion-like structure has fuelled interest in unraveling the structural and antigenic properties of this protein. Initial studies proved HBc virus-like particles to possess strong immunogenic properties, which can be conveyed to linked antigens. More than 35 years later, numerous studies have been performed using HBc as a carrier protein for antigens derived from over a dozen different pathogens and diseases. In this review, the authors highlight the intriguing features of HBc as carrier and antigen, illustrated by some examples and experimental results that underscore the value of HBc as an antigen-presenting platform. Two of these HBc fusions, targeting influenza A and malaria, have even progressed into clinical testing. In the future, the HBc-based virus-like particles platform will probably continue to be used for the display of poorly immunogenic antigens, mainly because virus-like particle formation by HBc capsomers is compatible with nearly any available recombinant gene expression system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenny Roose
- Department for Molecular Biomedical Research, VIB, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
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19
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Fluorosomes: fluorescent virus-like nanoparticles that represent a convenient tool to visualize receptor-ligand interactions. SENSORS 2013; 13:8722-49. [PMID: 23881135 PMCID: PMC3758619 DOI: 10.3390/s130708722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2013] [Revised: 06/28/2013] [Accepted: 07/05/2013] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Viruses are the smallest life forms and parasitize on many eukaryotic organisms, including humans. Consequently, the study of viruses and viral diseases has had an enormous impact on diverse fields of biology and medicine. Due to their often pathogenic properties, viruses have not only had a strong impact on the development of immune cells but also on shaping entire immune mechanisms in their hosts. In order to better characterize virus-specific surface receptors, pathways of virus entry and the mechanisms of virus assembly, diverse methods to visualize virus particles themselves have been developed in the past decades. Apart from characterization of virus-specific mechanisms, fluorescent virus particles also serve as valuable platforms to study receptor-ligand interactions. Along those lines the authors have developed non-infectious virus-like nanoparticles (VNP), which can be decorated with immune receptors of choice and used for probing receptor-ligand interactions, an especially interesting application in the field of basic but also applied immunology research. To be able to better trace receptor-decorated VNP the authors have developed technology to introduce fluorescent proteins into such particles and henceforth termed them fluorosomes (FS). Since VNP are assembled in a simple expression system relying on HEK-293 cells, gene-products of interest can be assembled in a simple and straightforward fashion—one of the reasons why the authors like to call fluorosomes ‘the poor-man's staining tool’. Within this review article an overview on virus particle assembly, chemical and recombinant methods of virus particle labeling and examples on how FS can be applied as sensors to monitor receptor-ligand interactions on leukocytes are given.
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20
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Sánchez-Rodríguez SP, Münch-Anguiano L, Echeverría O, Vázquez-Nin G, Mora-Pale M, Dordick JS, Bustos-Jaimes I. Human parvovirus B19 virus-like particles: In vitro assembly and stability. Biochimie 2012; 94:870-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2011.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2011] [Accepted: 12/07/2011] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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21
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Klamp T, Schumacher J, Huber G, Kühne C, Meissner U, Selmi A, Hiller T, Kreiter S, Markl J, Türeci Ö, Sahin U. Highly Specific Auto-Antibodies against Claudin-18 Isoform 2 Induced by a Chimeric HBcAg Virus-Like Particle Vaccine Kill Tumor Cells and Inhibit the Growth of Lung Metastases. Cancer Res 2011; 71:516-27. [DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-10-2292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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22
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Song S, Zhang K, You H, Wang J, Wang Z, Yan C, Liu F. Significant anti-tumour activity of adoptively transferred T cells elicited by intratumoral dendritic cell vaccine injection through enhancing the ratio of CD8(+) T cell/regulatory T cells in tumour. Clin Exp Immunol 2010; 162:75-83. [PMID: 20735440 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2249.2010.04226.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
We have shown that immunization with dendritic cells (DCs) pulsed with hepatitis B virus core antigen virus-like particles (HBc-VLP) packaging with cytosine-guanine dinucleotide (CpG) (HBc-VLP/CpG) alone were able to delay melanoma growth but not able to eradicate the established tumour in mice. We tested whether, by modulating the vaccination approaches and injection times, the anti-tumour activity could be enhanced. We used a B16-HBc melanoma murine model not only to compare the efficacy of DC vaccine immunized via footpads, intravenously or via intratumoral injections in treating melanoma and priming tumour-specific immune responses, but also to observe how DC vaccination could improve the efficacy of adoptively transferred T cells to induce an enhanced anti-tumour immune response. Our results indicate that, although all vaccination approaches were able to protect mice from developing melanoma, only three intratumoral injections of DCs could induce a significant anti-tumour response. Furthermore, the combination of intratumoral DC vaccination and adoptive T cell transfer led to a more robust anti-tumour response than the use of each treatment individually by increasing CD8(+) T cells or the ratio of CD8(+) T cell/regulatory T cells in the tumour site. Moreover, the combination vaccination induced tumour-specific immune responses that led to tumour regression and protected surviving mice from tumour rechallenge, which is attributed to an increase in CD127-expressing and interferon-γ-producing CD8(+) T cells. Taken together, these results indicate that repeated intratumoral DC vaccination not only induces expansion of antigen-specific T cells against tumour-associated antigens in tumour sites, but also leads to elimination of pre-established tumours, supporting this combined approach as a potent strategy for DC-based cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Song
- Department of Molecular Biology and Key Laboratory of Experimental Animal, Hebei Medical University, Medical experimental Center, People's Hospital of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, China
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23
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Gjerstorff MF, Burns J, Ditzel HJ. Cancer-germline antigen vaccines and epigenetic enhancers: future strategies for cancer treatment. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2010; 10:1061-75. [PMID: 20420535 DOI: 10.1517/14712598.2010.485188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD Immunotherapy holds great potential for disseminated cancer, and cancer-germline (CG) antigens are among the most promising tumor targets. They are widely expressed in different cancer types and are essentially tumor-specific, since their expression in normal tissues is largely restricted to immune-privileged sites. Although the therapeutic potential of these antigens may be compromised by their highly heterogeneous expression in many tumors and low frequency in some cancers, recent developments suggest that tumor-cell-selective enhancement of CG antigen gene expression can be achieved using epigenetic modifiers. AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW We provide an overview of the potential of CG antigens as targets for cancer immunotherapy, including advantages and disadvantages. We also discuss the current state of development of CG antigen vaccines, and the potential synergistic effect of combining CG antigen immunotherapeutic strategies with epigenetic modifiers. WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN The reader will gain an overview of the past, present and future role of CG antigens in cancer immunotherapy. TAKE HOME MESSAGE Chemoimmunotherapy using epigenetic drugs and CG antigen vaccines may be a useful approach for treating cancer.
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24
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Ding FX, Xian X, Guo YJ, Liu Y, Wang Y, Yang F, Wang YZ, Song SX, Wang F, Sun SH. A preliminary study on the activation and antigen presentation of hepatitis B virus core protein virus-like particle-pulsed bone marrow-derived dendritic cells. MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMS 2010; 6:2192-9. [DOI: 10.1039/c005222a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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25
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Kozako T, Fukada K, Hirata S, White Y, Harao M, Nishimura Y, Kino Y, Soeda S, Shimeno H, Lemonnier F, Sonoda S, Arima N. Efficient induction of human T-cell leukemia virus-1-specific CTL by chimeric particle without adjuvant as a prophylactic for adult T-cell leukemia. Mol Immunol 2009; 47:606-13. [PMID: 19889459 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2009.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2009] [Revised: 09/01/2009] [Accepted: 09/03/2009] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma (ATL) is an aggressive peripheral T-cell neoplasm that develops after long-term infection with the human T-cell leukemia virus-1 (HTLV-1). HTLV-1-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) play an important role in suppressing proliferation of HTLV-1-infected or transformed T-cells in vitro. Efficient induction of antigen-specific CTLs is important for immunologic suppression of oncogenesis, but has evaded strategies utilizing poorly immunogenic free synthetic peptides. In the present study, we examined the efficient induction of HTLV-1-specific CD8+ T-cell response by an HTLV-1/hepatitis B virus core (HBc) chimeric particle incorporating the HLA-A*0201-restricted HTLV-1 Tax-epitope. The immunization of HLA-A*0201-transgenic mice with the chimeric particle induced antigen-specific gamma-interferon reaction, whereas immunization with epitope peptide only induced no reaction as assessed by enzyme-linked immunospot assay. Immunization with the chimeric particle also induced HTLV-1-specific CD8+ T-cells in spleen and inguinal lymph nodes. Furthermore, upon exposure of dendritic cells from HLA-A*0201-transgenic mice to the chimeric particle, the expression of CD86, HLA-A02, TLR4 and MHC class II was increased. Additionally, our results show that HTLV-1-specific CD8+ T-cells can be induced by peptide with HTLV-1/HBc particle from ATL patient, but not by peptide only and these HTLV-1-specific CD8+ T-cells were able to lyse cells presenting the peptide. These results suggest that HTLV-1/HBc chimeric particle is capable of inducing strong cellular immune responses without adjuvants via effective maturation of dendritic cells and is potentially useful as an effective carrier for therapeutic vaccines in tumors, or in infectious diseases by substituting the epitope peptide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohiro Kozako
- Division of Hematology and Immunology, Center for Chronic Viral Diseases, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan
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26
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Song S, Liu C, Wang J, Zhang Y, You H, Wang Y, Liu F, Sun S. Vaccination with combination of Fit3L and RANTES in a DNA prime-protein boost regimen elicits strong cell-mediated immunity and antitumor effect. Vaccine 2008; 27:1111-8. [PMID: 19100302 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2008.11.095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2008] [Accepted: 11/22/2008] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
With accumulating evidence indicating the importance of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in the antitumor response, strategies are being pursued to elicit augmented CD8(+) T-cell responses against tumors with tumor vaccines. Here, we report the protective efficacy of vaccine-elicited antitumor immune responses with an aggressive HBc-expressing B16-HBc melanoma, which expressed HBc as a self and model antigen, tumor model. We demonstrated that the significantly better memory responses or marked inhibition on tumor growth could be achieved after coadministration of cytokine adjuvants RANTES and Flt3L in a DNA prime-protein boost regimen. Furthermore, the augmentation of DNA prime-protein boost regimens by cytokines gene was due to the improvement the immunopotency of DNA vaccine and subsequently the augmented Ag-specific and IFN-gamma mediating CD8(+) T-cell responses after protein boosting. Hence, this study demonstrates for the first time that combinatorial use of chemotactic and potent DC-specific growth factor molecules provides a useful strategy for enhancing antitumor responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuxia Song
- Department of Molecular Biology and Key Lab of Laboratory Animal, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, PR China
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27
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Liu Y, Wu C, Chen JH, Chen GM, Xue SG, Yan XM. Immunostimulatory effects of CpG-ODN 2216 on the activation of peripheral blood B lymphocytes and Th1-type cytokines from patients with hepatitis B virus infection. Shijie Huaren Xiaohua Zazhi 2008; 16:1573-1576. [DOI: 10.11569/wcjd.v16.i14.1573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM: To determine the effects of immunos-timulatory action of CpG-ODN 2216 on the activation of B lymphocytes and Th1-type cytokines derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV).
METHODS: PBMCs from donors infected with HBV were cultured in the presence of CpG-ODN 2216 for 48 h; B lymphocytes were analyzed for CD19/CD86, CD19/CD80, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II and class I using flow cytometry. The supernatant levels of interleukin-12 (IL-12) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
RESULTS: CpG-ODN 2216 promoted a strong up-regulation of CD86, CD80, MHC-I and MHC-II on B lymphocytes in HBV-infected patients (CD80: 48.84% ± 21.29% vs 28.57% ± 18.70%; CD86: 50.12% ± 19.70% vs 13.15% ± 8.81%; MHC-I: 2108.88 ± 289.04 vs 1679.22 ± 388.22; MHC-II: 1602.77 ± 362.61 vs 941.88 ± 237.35; all P < 0.05). IL-12 and IFN-γ levels in the stimulated supernatant were increased significantly (IFN-γ: 61.38 ± 38.81 ng/L vs 47.35 ± 38.76 ng/L; IL-12: 7.80 ± 4.34 ng/L vs 5.56 ± 3.56 ng/L; both P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION: CpG-ODN 2216 up-regulates the expression of B lymphocyte antigen presenting and costimulatory molecules on the surface of B lymphocytes derived from HBV-infected patients, and promotes the capability of PBMCs in secreting Th1-type cytokines.
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